Higgs Field

Podcast

Higgs Field

Transcript

The next big thing, in science. I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

Instead of reporting on a recent science discovery, today we'll take a look forward. We asked Nobel Prize winning physicist Leon Lederman for his prediction of the next revolutionary discovery in physics. He says that in six or seven years, everyone will be buzzing about the "Higgs Particle."

Lederman:
"It's a mysterious particle which implies the existence of a field that pervades all of space./ In the influence of that field, particles acquire mass -- they get heavy."

And without the Higgs Field, there would be no mass or matter in the universe at all. Of course, that's all still theoretical. No one knows yet if the Higgs Particle exists. But a consortium of European groups is attempting to build a particle accelerator that should settle the question. It's set for completion around 2005.

Doctor Lederman says the search for the Higgs Field is similar to the quest to understand electricity and other basic forces of nature. Such inquiries often have significance far beyond the laboratory.

Lederman:
"So every issue we've ever faced which had to do with the fundamentals of physics, of the way the world works, has had a profound implication on how we live on this planet. And we don't see why this should change."

When and if the Higgs Field is found, you can hear about it right here.

For the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I'm Bob Hirshon.

Making Sense of the Research

Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects about being a scientist is that you can be involved in the discovery of something that is totally new to the human race. Scientists have the privilege to come up with theorems to try to explain various phenomena and then they get to test the theorems to see if they could actually be true. Scientists use particular ways of observing, thinking, experimenting, and validating to try to answer the questions people have about the world and the universe. Often the answers scientists find have implications far beyond the laboratory and quite often, what scientists discover only leads to more questions.

In this Science Update, the quest for the field demonstrated the nature of scientific inquiry and the excitement involved in discovering something new. This Science Update also illustrated how scientists working together can make great strides in scientific knowledge. In addition to the Internet based activities presented in the Going Further section below, you may also want to explore the ramifications of certain major discoveries – like the splitting of the atom or the development of a life-saving vaccine.

Now try to answer the following questions:

1. What does Leon Lederman believe will be the next revolutionary discovery in physics?
2. How would that potential discovery influence particles?
3. What is the theoretical importance of this field?
4. When will the particle accelerator being built by the consortium of European groups be completed?
5. How is the search for this field similar to the quest to understand electricity and other basic forces of nature?

Going Further

You can follow up on this Science Update by going to the Science NetLinks lesson, Splitting the Atom.

Another good extension would be The Transistor, presented by Lucent Technologies. This site presents the history of the discovery of the transistor as well as its ramifications.

Finally, to gain a better understanding about what matter is, read the article entitled How Special Relativity Works, part of the How Stuff Works website. This article focuses on the fundamental principles of the universe and discusses matter.